Four sheets to the wind
by kshi1205
Summary: Separated from birth, the two twin sisters' fate is twisted. Selby grew up as a fugitive while her sister Miranda became a marine. The two however have attracted the top two wanted of the Eleven Supernovas. Trafalgar Law X OC and Eustass Kidd X OC. Rated T just in case.
1. Prologue

**I do not own One Piece, although this fanfic is my own idea. This is my first story on this website, and English isn't my first language, so please bear with minor grammar mistakes. The story takes place about 4 years before Kidd and Law had arrived Sabaody Archipelago. The story line will follow the original One piece. ****Flames and reviews welcome.**

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Prologue

It was a dark night. The moon had gone hiding behind the clouds, the stars nowhere to be seen. A woman hurried down the street with a basket in her hand. She stumbled all the way in front of a white little cottage and left quickly.

Early in the morning, the orphanage director was woken up by crying. He hurried to the door, only to see two young babies lying in a basket in front of the door. He signed, and took them in.

Months later.

A young woman walked into the orphanage. Her clothes were all clean white, from head to toe, as if she worked as a doctor or a nurse. She was polite and kind, no doubt she would make a good mother for one of the orphans, despite the fact that she was a little too young. The director thought to himself. She told him that she wanted a healthy baby girl. Only one. When he took her to the nursing room, she immediately wanted one of the girls named Selby. The director was troubled. He explained to her that the girl had a twin, and it would be best if they were adopted together. The woman refused to listen. She emphasized that she wanted the girl but not her sister because she only could afford one. At last, the director gave in and she took the baby away.

After a few weeks, a marine adopted the other. The director chose to keep silence about the other child-there was no way for them to meet again, so why bother telling? He signed and sat down as he watched the marine walk away with the child. He had named her Miranda, instead of the old name the director gave the baby. Both of them would be happy, he thought, even though they would never be with each other.

If he only knew what he really had did.

Miranda was indeed happy, even though she lacked a mother, her loving adopted father filled up the emptiness. Selby, her sister, was not so fortunate. It turned out to be, that the young woman was a scientist who had formerly worked under Vegapunk. She belonged to an organization that used humans for testing and creating powerful weapons. The poor girl was tormented and lived on nutrient solutions for the first few years of her life. Finally, one day she managed to escape the laboratory center and started her life as a fugitive.

And that, is about where our story starts.


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks for the review and the favorites. The story starts out on Selby's side, but the next chapter will switch to her twin's point of view. Hope you guys like it. **

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Chap.1

The cool ocean breeze blew on Trafalgar Law's face. Blue waves of the sea chased after one another as the sea gulls flew in the clear skies. In a distance a piece of land laid on the horizon. The early morning sun scattered rays on the calm blue sea.

"Good morning, Doctor." Clark Selby leaned on the door frame of the cabin. "Breakfast is ready." She watched him as he walked towards her. The sunlight spilled recklessly into her eyes, the strong exposure made his figure seem like a black silhouette. The light behind him almost burned her eyes. She could feel them water.

As if he was one of the gods. She thought as he came nearer. She smiled towards him and Bepo as they came near.

* * *

Clark Selby had stayed on his ship for about 2 months. She wasn't one of his crew; she was just a passenger on Law's ship. The girl was a fugitive, escaping from some science laboratory that used her for experiment. At least that was what she told him. Honestly, Law didn't care where she really came from and who she really was. What attracted him was her ability to regenerate.

Selby had the ability to regenerate body parts if she lost them, just as if a lizard would do. She could also regenerate certain organs; he had tried taking or destroying them without killing her. The girl didn't seem to mind too much about that. She never cared about him vivisecting her or cutting parts of her off as long as he used anesthetic. "They'll grow back eventually." When he had asked her, she replied to him motionless, as if what he was cutting of wasn't part of her body but a leaf on a plant. Apparently she didn't know what had caused the regeneration, and to him it seemed more like a DNA mutation instead of a power granted by the Devil Fruit. If what she told of her past was true, most likely what had happened was that part of her DNA sequence was fiddled.

It was funny how she always stubbornly called him Doctor. She knew very well that he was a pirate and was the captain of his crew. In fact, that was one of the reasons why she came to him instead of going to an ordinary passenger ship to travel. She asked if he could make her normal again.

"Why would you want to lose the ability to regenerate? Most people just simply take advantage of it." Law leaned on the wall behind him.

"Because I just want to be normal. Like everybody else. With this ability everybody views me as a monster. Even the people who made me become like this. They never use anything to ease my pain when they cut me open. As if I can't feel pain like them. As if my screaming is just something as natural as a clock ticking. But the problem is I can feel pain. I can suffer. But nobody seems to notice when I'm like this. I'm just like an outcast. Or even worse." She turned her head away as she was telling him these things. Law could tell that she felt ashamed about being able to regenerate.

"I will try to. But in return you will allow me to run certain experiments on you to find out what they have changed and for my own interests." He tilted his head. "Deal?"

She hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded. "Deal."

* * *

"Lay still. This might hurt a bit." Law pulled out his scalpel. "I used anesthetic, but since your body had absorbed a lot of it since you had been here it might lose its effect."

She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. He had performed this many times, but she still never got used to it. The cold metal bed frame and the white bed sheets and curtains reminded her too much of her past. This is for my future. She thought as her mind slowly drifted away in sleep.

_"Check on XS3356II. I think there's something wrong." A woman in a white robe stood up.  
"I don't see anything." The man beside her replied as he typed something into the computer. "I'll let the guards check just in case."_

_She opened her eyes. It was the first time she didn't wake up from pain. She looked around._

_There were needles all over her body. She pulled off them as she scanned the room. Jars. A knife. Medicine. She felt her head spinning. She stumbled off the bed. She had to leave here. As soon as possible. An alarm went on. The noise made her feel like she had a headache. She staggered all the way to the door. The dizziness started to disappear. She narrowed her eyes as she saw uniformed men rushing towards her direction. This time she was definitely going to make it out. _

"Selby! Selby! Are you OK?" She felt somebody shaking her violently. She opened her eyes and saw Bepo's worried face. "Captain told me to call you up for dinner. You OK?"

"I'm fine… Just a bad dream. Nothing else. There's no need to worry." Her head still ached. It had been years since she was in that laboratory. Why did she all of a sudden had that dream? Selby didn't understand. "Tell them I'll be there in a second. I'm fine. You don't need to wait for me. Leave me alone for a while."

Bepo didn't look convinced, but left anyway. She signed and lied against the wall behind her. Everything would be fine. She closed her eyes and said to herself.

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**Yes, I know, Law dissects her alive. Mainly it is because he wants to know what the scientists had changed about her body, but he does have some other purposes beside helping her. Next chapter would be about her twin sister, so I may pick up this chapter in Chap. 3. **


	3. Chapter 2

**10th Squad 3rd Seat: Thank you for your support and reviews. They encouraged me a lot. I'm having a hard time lately, so thank you very much.**

**Flames and reviews are welcomed.**

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Chap.2

"Remember to stop by the groceries!" Miranda's adopted father, Williams Joseph called after her as she walked out the door. "Watch out for pirates and don't forget to bring me lunch!"

Miranda signed as she walked down the streets. Her father loved to embarrass her like that. It wasn't as if she would really forget and starve him. Gosh, she was already 16 years old.

"Come on; let's try to finish as soon as possible." Miranda smiled towards Ben, her 8 years old dog. He was huge in size even for his own type, but was kind to people once he got to know them. She had an iron rod with her just in case, and Ben was here with her, but she was afraid that if the opponent had Devil Fruit powers, then things would get a bit complicated. The South Blue was best known for nasty pirates and the damages they brought. Her father was a marine, and that made her an even more attractive target. She didn't want to trouble him.

The streets seemed emptier than usual, but Miranda didn't take that in mind too much. It was a bit earlier than the business hours, and the rumors about pirates traveling down here probably made people scared. She thought to herself.

Then a group of people caught her attention. They seemed to be arguing over something with a map in their hand. They didn't look like anybody from the town. Their loud colored clothing hurt her eyes. Their leader, a red-haired tall man, seemed to be angered. There was also a blonde hair with a mask. Judging by the built of the body Miranda assumed the person was a man. They looked awkwardly familiar, yet she couldn't remember where she had seen them before. Ben squeezed towards her. She could feel his muscles tighten as he walked along her. "It's OK." She whispered to him as she bent down to pat him. Miranda really did wish so.

"Hey, you over there!" Miranda stiffened as she heard one of them called her. There was nobody else on the street besides her and them. She couldn't make a mistake about that. She slowly turned around. "Is there anything I can help you?"

Miranda turned towards them. It was the blonde guy. "Excuse me, but do you know where the harbor is?" He asked her. Miranda started to relax. So they were just people who got lost. She thought as she pointed the direction to the harbor. "It's over there; if you go straight forward you'll see it on your left side. Also there might be pirates, so be careful." She smiled to him. For some reason she thought he was trying not to laugh. Miranda saw the red-haired guy smirk. "Come on, Killer. We got to go." He called out to the person she was talking to.

Killer. Well that's a weird name. She thought to herself as she walked away with Ben. "See, there's nothing to worry about." Miranda petted his head when the strangers were out of sight. "Let's hurry up so we won't be late."

Miranda hurried in the streets. The rumors have scared the shopkeepers very badly, causing most of them to close their shops down to avoid loss of money. She almost ran around the whole town to get everything they needed. Finally, she started to head back to the harbor with Ben.

Ben was the first one to sense something wrong. He started to run wildly, ignoring Miranda's calls from behind. Miranda was puzzled. What had happened? She sped behind him, turning to her left, a move she regretted later.

Their ship was on fire. There were townspeople rushing around, trying to put out the flames. Blood was spattered everywhere, people literally waddled in the thick red liquid. The she saw her father, or more specifically, his head, sitting on the bow of the flaming ship, eyes wide with horror. Ben barked loudly beside her.

Her adopted father, Williams Joseph, the man Miranda loved dearly, was dead.

Then she screamed on top of her lungs and passed out.

* * *

When Miranda woke up, she was in the town's hospital. Her father had been killed by pirates.

"He fought bravely." The doctor had told her. None of the marine had been able to survive. All of them had been killed by the crew of the Kidd Pirates. Their leader, Eustass Kidd, had killed Williams Joseph himself.

She hoped that a hole would suddenly open from the ground beneath her and swallow her up when she saw his wanted poster. She had seen him before that day. The person who asked her how to get to the harbor was one of his crew. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry out loud. She had pointed to way for them herself. It was her, who had participated in her father's murder. But instead of expressing her emotions, all she could do was helplessly knelt down and collapse. No wonder they had looked familiar. The Kidd Pirates was a crew formed recently. She should have known better.

Miranda didn't shed a tear when it came to her father's funeral. Her eyes were motionless when she watched the coffin lower into the tomb. When finally everybody left, she walked up to his gravestone. There was a black and white picture of him smiling. She wondered if he would still smile to her if he knew what she had done.

"I swear to you." She bit her lip hard. "I swear that one day I will take revenge for you. I will kill him one day, that Eustass Kidd. I will hunt him down till the day I die. I promise."

Miranda walked away. Ben was waiting for her in their temporary home. They wouldn't be in there too long; she was joining the marine soon.

I will take your path. I will walk the road you didn't finish. I will take up you burden and continue on for you. I will avenge for you one day. I will make them pay the price.

I swear to you, my dear father.

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**This chap. was mainly about the first time Miranda met Kidd, so at time Kidd was about 17. Since the author never really said when Kidd had formed his pirate crew, I'm just assuming he that he formed the Kidd Pirates when he was 17, same age when Luffy started his life as a pirate. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Just had 2 visitors from my home country! I'm really excited. **

**Lizzy and Velonica14: Thanks for your guest reviews. **

**10th Squad 3rd Seat: No, Kidd doesn't know yet, but he'll find out the next time they meet.**

**aaroniteXkryptonite: Thanks for your review. **

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Chap. 3

Selby looked out of the window. It was a nice day for sailing, she thought to herself. Trafalgar Law had stopped by this island a few days earlier. She wondered if they would leave today. The weather was just right and their supplies should be replenished by now.

She stood up. Trafalgar Law was nowhere to be seen since morning. Before they had arrived land he had told her that he was about to solve her problem. But since they reached land he started to become busy, and seldom met her. Selby could feel that she started to become anxious. Something in her told her that there was danger ahead. She didn't know what was going to happen. She tried to tell him, but Law wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Bepo, do you know where your captain is?"

The polar bear turned around to face her. "No, I think his still on the island. I haven't seen him on the ship."

Selby signed and lowered her head. "Thank you, Bepo." Even though that didn't help much. She added in her heart. "Do you think Penguin or Shachi would know anything?"

Bepo stopped and thought for a while. "I don't think Shachi knows about what Captain's up to, you can still try asking him though; and I think Penguin left with Captain this morning. I think they said that they were going to meet someone on the island. I don't know who."

"I see…" Selby's voice traced off as she started to think. "Bepo, do you think they would do anything dangerous?"

"Dangerous?" Bepo laughed. "I don't think Captain would get himself into anything he can't handle." He stopped and looked at her, "Is there anything wrong?"

"Oh, no, I was just a bit worried. Doctor seemed pretty busy these days." Selby blushed a bit.

"I'm pretty sure there's nothing to worry about." Bepo suddenly leaned forward. "Are you in love with Captain?"

"No!" She frowned. "Why would you think so?"

"Nothing. But I'll sure be happy if a female bear would care for me like that." Bepo leaned on his chair and signed. Selby smiled. "Oh, shut up, Bepo."

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Selby woke up in the middle of the night. Something was wrong… She could hear voices and footsteps in the hallway. She got up to see what was happening. Once she opened the door, she could see Bepo racing down the hallway.

"What's the matter, Bepo?" She called after the white bear. He stopped to answer her question. "Captain is back. He's badly wounded; Penguin had to carry him back."

Selby gasped. "What happened?" She walked along with Bepo as he hurried down the hallways.

"I don't know. Penguin doesn't seem to know everything either. He said that Captain was battling Vergo. I think Captain got into an argument with him. Honestly, I don't know anything more than you, Selby."

When they walked into the infirmary, Selby saw Law lying on one of the beds. He was still unconscious; she didn't know if it was because of anesthetic or because of the fighting. She could see that all of his crew mates were worried. The ship's doctor was busy cleaning his wounds.

"What happened, Penguin?" She whispered to the taller man. He turned his head away from her. "Captain was fighting was someone. That's all I can tell you. Don't worry, Selby; please go back to sleep. Everything will be fine."

"How can you tell me not to worry?" Selby whimpered, looking back to Law. "I'm stay here to help the doctor."

It was almost 3 o'clock in the morning when finally only Bepo and Selby were the two left in the infirmary besides the doctor. She squeezed a tired smile towards Bepo. "You can go and rest; I'll take care of him."

The bear nodded towards her, but still remained in the room. Selby signed but didn't say anything more. The doctor walked out of the room. "Call me if anything happens." He said before leaving the two.

"Bepo?" After a moment of silence, Selby asked him, "Do you know what happened? You do know, right?"

Bepo hesitated for a while. "…Yes, Selby. I don't know what exactly happened, but I know what may have caused it." He looked around, and then turned back to her. "Listen, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but don't tell anyone I did. We work under the Donquixote Pirates right now. I think Vergo knows something about our plan. Or maybe it's just because Captain had an argument with him. It's a warning, whatever reason made him do this."

Selby frowned. "I thought you guys were your own pirate crew."

"Captain's trying to get rid of them. It's not like we're going to kill them all; we're just trying to form a pirate crew of our own. But Doflamingo, the captain of the Donquixote Pirates, won't view it that way. It's a betrayal to him; I don't know if Vergo knows anything about that. If he does, then we're screwed. He'll tell Doflamingo right away." Bepo gulped. "If I were you, I would leave here as soon as possible. You have nothing to do with this."

"Thank you, Bepo, but I'd rather stay." Selby stopped for a moment, "Unless Doctor wants me to leave."

"Why? You're not even part of us. It's not worth dying. Captain won't mind if you leave."

"I…" Selby lowered her head. "I'll stay here with you until he tells me to leave."

Bepo signed and turned away. "…I'm going to rest for a while. Call me when you're tired."

Selby lifted her head. The white polar bear was walking towards the door. She smiled. "Thank you, Bepo."

What answered her was him closing the door quietly.

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_"I'm sorry, dear. I shouldn't have taken you here. If it weren't because of me, maybe you'll live on happily. Maybe you wouldn't suffer." _

_She raised her head. A woman in a white robe was sobbing in front of her. Why was she crying? She didn't understand. She looked at her, confused and puzzled. _

_The woman lifted something up. It was an injector. "I'm sorry, dear. Please forgive me, Selby." Her cold hand touched her cheek. Then she stabbed the injector into her arm. _

Selby gasped and woke up. Someone's hand was touching her cheek; she blinked and saw Law sitting up in his bed. "Why are you sleeping here?" He asked.

"I was taking care of you last night… I'm sorry I fell asleep." She turned her gaze away. "Do you need me to call the doctor?"

"No, I'm fine right now." He replied. Law got off the bed. "Come with me. I have something to give you."

" Shouldn't you be resting?" She asked. He didn't turn back. "I'm a doctor, I know if I'm fine or not; are you coming?"

Selby silently obeyed him. It was early in the morning. The sun hasn't even rose. She didn't know what he was about to do. A slight hint of fear clung to her.

He walked into the laboratory they'd used to come every two days. She watched him as he searched through the bottles and jars of his. She felt her heart started to beat fast. She knew, almost instantly, what he was about to give her.

"Here you go." He pulled out a tiny bottle and handed it to her. Inside there were a few tiny pills. "I'm sorry that I can't find a complete cure, but those pills can slow down the rate of regeneration to a normal human rate. I'll give you the instructions of how to make them. The effect will last about 36 hours. Take the pills and the instructions. Go back to you room, pack up your stuff and leave. Don't come back."


	5. Chapter 4

**10th Squad 3rd Seat, Girl-luvs-manga: Thank you for both of your reviews. (bow down) **

**Velonica14: Since my spring break is over and school has started, I don't have as much time to work on this. I will try to update once a week. **

**Enjoy the new chapter! Flames and reviews are both welcomed. **

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Chap.4

"Both of you are late 10 minutes. Explain."

Miranda gulped as the Instructor's face darkened. "We got up late." She replied. Part of it was true anyway. Except she didn't sleep over; it was Colette who forgot to wake up early. She was waiting for her.

"Got up late? I see. Go run 100 miles, ten miles for every minute late. I hope that will stay in your memory so you'll know better than to be late for training."

"Yes sir." Both of them replied and ran to the track. Miranda glared at Colette, who was smiling bitterly now. "It's all because of you." Miranda whispered.

"It's not my fault that I got up late; if he didn't make me do that stupid extra training yesterday, I could have got up as early as you did." Colette complained.

"That's no excuse; I did the extra training with you, even though I didn't have to." Miranda sighed. "Just don't be late again."

"I won't; I wouldn't want to run 100 miles again just for being late." Colette promised her as they ran along the track side by side. Ben sat on the grass beside, watching them run past him again and again.

When they got to 65, another recruit joined them. Colette waved to him. "Why are you punished?"

"For some stupid mistakes." The recruit grinned and replied. "I've got to run 60 miles for that."

"Why don't you run 50 miles instead while we run 90? I feel like I'm going to dehydrate if I really get to 100." Colette suggested.

"Will the Instructor know?" Miranda and the new recruit asked at the same time.

"No, I don't think so. He doesn't seem to keep track of how much we get to; I think he trusts us in that. That's why we can't cut corners too much. If we cut too much, he'll notice because we finish faster."

"Colette, I don't think 10 miles is a small distance." Miranda frowned. "Do you really think this would work out? You do know that we'll get punished again if the Instructor finds out."

"Fine then, how about 95 miles?" Colette rolled her eyes, "Don't tell me that you're going to run 100 miles for real; that's going to kill me for sure."

"Well, if the Instructor never finds out I'll like to give it a try. I just don't want to get into trouble." The new recruit shrugged. "So your name is Colette?"

"Yup. Miller Colette. She's Williams Miranda. What's your name?" Colette turned to the new recruit.

"I'm Munoz Benjamin. You can call me Ben for short." He smiled towards them. Colette laughed. "You share a name with her dog. See that big canine sitting over there? That's him."

"I guess that's not a bad thing, since he's big in size and loyal in heart." Benjamin laughed and scratched his head. Colette shook her head. "Now, are we going to cut corners or not?" She asked Miranda. Miranda hesitated for a while. Then she lowered her head and sighed.

"Yes, Colette. Just this once."

"So why did you join the marine?" Miranda asked Benjamin as they lay on the grass while the cool breeze swept upon their face. "I joined to avenge my father's death."

"He got killed by pirates?" Benjamin asked. Miranda nodded. "'Captain' Eustass Kidd killed him. My father was a marine. I still remember when I last saw him. His head was placed on the bow of the ship. It was on fire. There was blood everywhere…" Her voice traced off.

"I joined just because I was bored by the world outside." Colette sat up. "I grew up in the streets. My mother died giving birth to me. Nobody cared for me when I was young. If I weren't afraid that I may lose my life, I may have been a pirate instead."

"Marines die during fights with pirate crews." Benjamin laughed. Colette let out a short laugh. "At least they don't get hanged and shame after their death." She said as she threw a rock to the horizon in a distance. The wind blew against her face, sending her long black hair flying with the wind. There was a moment of silence.

"That explains a lot." Benjamin grinned. "I joined just because I can't stand some of the pirates. There may be nice ones out there, I guess if you get to know them, but most of them are just greedy and cruel. The nobles aren't any better, allowing human slavery and shooting anybody they don't like or stand in their way, but I figured that if I joined the marine at least I can stand for part of what I believe."

"So you joined the marine for justice?" Miranda asked. Ben nodded. "I want to at least do all I can for this world."

"Oi, you three! Stop being lazy and sitting around there! Get your ass over here and start training!" The Instructor yelled at them. Miranda sighed and got up. "Don't ever be late again. 'Cause if you do, I'm not waiting for you next time." She turned to Colette and said.

"I won't." Colette stood up and ran over to the Instructor. "Once is enough."

* * *

The days passed by quickly. Time seemed hard to bear when it was still present, but when Miranda turned and looked back in her past years she was surprised how time flew away from her hands before she even knew. It was almost two years since she left the land that buried her father. Ben, her dear friend who stood with her all the time, had started to age.

And of course, Eustass Kidd had changed a lot since then.

Miranda had heard that he had eaten a devil fruit in the past two years. He quickly became one of the most ruthless pirates in the South Blue, which she wasn't very surprised at. She guesses she was expecting this all long, since the day he had killed her father. His bounty started to skyrocket, growing into a humongous number that even she was surprised. Miranda started to wonder if she could ever succeed. It was like a race between them two that he was unaware of; every day she would train harder and harder, doing her best to improve all she could. Her rank was quickly raised to lieutenant while her friends remained as warrant officers.

The time in Baterilla was always peaceful and relaxing. This was a small island in the South Blue, where Gol. D. Roger's child is said to be born. Nobody knew where or who that child was though. Maybe that child never even existed. Miranda thought to herself. Otherwise the marines would hunt him down instead of sitting around like this.

She walked down the streets, greeting the townsmen with Ben beside her. Nothing seemed to be wrong today. Maybe she could get back early and spend some time with Colette and Benjamin. Shift time came and she returned to the ship. Colette and Benjamin were both still on duty. She sat down near them, patiently waiting.

"Alert! A pirate ship's heading towards the harbor!" A marine's voice was yelling outside. Miranda stood up. "I'll go see what's happening." She told her friends. Benjamin nodded and continued his work.

Miranda stepped on the deck. A pirate ship was sailing from the horizon. She couldn't tell what ship it was though. It was too far away. She could see her fellow marines getting the cannon ready.

She took out her telescope and looked again. That flag. She couldn't mistake it for anybody else's. She had seen it once before; the day her father died.

Then the cannon fired.


	6. Chapter 5

**I was really busy the past week, so I sort of rushed through it. Sorry about that. **

**Miumi-chan, 10th Squad 3rd Seat, aaroniteXkryptonite, Kilari G: Thanks guys for the reviews. I really appreciate it. **

**Girl-luvs-manga: She'll be fine. At least I won't kill her or disable her. **

**Velonica14: Thank you for your understanding. **

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Chap.5

The bottle almost slipped out of her hands when she heard what he had said. For a second she wasn't sure if it was true. How could he drive her away? He was always so kind to her… But it was true. "Why?" There had to be something wrong. Something that they all weren't telling her…

"You asked to travel with my crew so that I can cure you of the unnatural regeneration. I already gave it to you. I don't see any reason you should be staying with us. Am I not correct?"

Selby remembered what Bepo had said the night before. It's not worth it. She really didn't have any reason to stay with them in danger. But if so, why would she feel pain and fear of leaving them?

"Do you need anyone to help you pack up?"

"No." She looked at him. "I can do it myself." She could never learn to say "no" to the man before her. "If it's what you hope, then so be it, Doctor."

"Good." He turned and left the laboratory, leaving her standing alone. She sighed and walked out.

There wasn't much for her to pack; until now, she never noticed that she had so little belongs to take with her. They almost surprised her, but then it was supposed to be expected, since she was always traveling from one place to another, even before she had met the Heart Pirates. When she walked down the ship Law was standing on the deck, watching her. She smiled at him. "Take care, Doctor."

She jumped onto the harbor and walked towards town, trying her best to not look back. When she finally did, he had disappeared. As if he was making sure she was leaving. She felt her heart ache. Tears blinded her eyes. Did he really not care about anything that would happen to her?

* * *

"Shachi, did you see Selby anywhere?"

"Nope. She's usually in her room."

"I've checked. She isn't there."

Bepo turned to look at his captain. He didn't seem to worry at all. Perhaps he didn't hear Penguin's conversation with Shachi. Or was there another reason?

"Captain?"

"What is it, Bepo?" Law looked at the polar bear. Bepo gulped. "Did you send Selby away?"

"Yes." Law turned to him. After finding Bepo staring at him for a while, he raised an eyebrow. Bepo realized he was staring and turned away. "Nothing." He muttered under his breathe. Nobody said anything for a moment.

"Do I need to tell Penguin or Shachi?" He raised his head and asked.

"You can, but they'll figure it out eventually." His captain stood up. "Are we ready to leave?"

"I think so. I'll go check on the others." Bepo stopped for a moment, looking at his captain. "Did you send her away because of Doflamingo?"

Law narrowed his eyes when he heard Doflamingo's name. There was a long moment of silence. "Yes." He finally answered. Bepo took a deep breath and then asked the question that had been bothering him for so long.

"Do you love her, Captain?"

"No." Almost immediately Law replied. "What made you think so, Bepo?"

"Well, you seemed to care for her more than you usually would for others…" Bepo's voice traced off into the air. His captain smiled.

"You must be greatly mistaken, Bepo. She's a girl; I'm just trying to be a gentleman. Being nice to someone is different from loving them. Doflamingo is going to be a big problem; I don't need anybody else getting into this hot mess."

For some reason Bepo thought that his captain was saying that to himself instead of telling him. And he also thought that dissecting someone was not a very gentlemanly manner but then he decided not to say anything.

"If everyone's ready, then let's start sailing."

* * *

Selby strolled along the pavement. This was the first time she had walked alone since she started traveling with the Heart Pirates. Usually Bepo or Penguin would accompany her when they stopped by the land. She held on tightly to the iron rod in her hand. Their company had always made her feel safe; now, she felt that she returned to the days before she met them, when she had to worry about pursuers even when she was sleeping. She hadn't even left for an hour and she had already started to miss them. Selby shook her head. What was wrong with her? She couldn't live on like this-living in past memories while not paying attention to the present.

"May I ask were the harbor is?"

The man she asked seemed surprised. "It's over there; you'll get there in 15 minutes if you run." He said, pointing the way she came from.

"No, I meant the other harbor." She shook her head. The man looked confused.

"If you want to get there, you'll have to go over the hills." He pointed to the green grassy hills in a distance. "It's pretty far, Miss. If I were you, I probably would just go to the one I pointed to you before."

Selby was lost in thought. Maybe she should go back, but then Law…

"Are you OK? Miss?" The man shook her a bit; he seemed to be worried. Selby forced a weak smile. "I'm fine, I was just thinking about something… Thank you for your advice."

She was heading back to the Heart Pirates. It wasn't her choice to leave after all. She could hear the wind rushing beside her and the confused man yelling while she ran back. She had to get there before he left. There was no time to waste.

She bumped into a few people, but didn't stop to apologize. All she did was shout out "sorry" and continue her running. If she was fast enough, maybe they haven't left. She was getting closer. She could hear the shouting of sailors. She wanted to tell him that she wasn't going to leave. Clark Selby wasn't going anywhere besides traveling with the Heart Pirates.

But she was too late. At the time she arrived the harbor, she could see their ship sailing towards the horizon. There was no coming back for Law and his crew; she collapsed on the dock. "No…" her voice faded in the air. How could this be? How could she just perfectly miss them? How?

And it was about then she felt something hit her head and she blacked out.

"I know. She's such a troublesome thing. Thank you for your help."

Selby could hear someone talking beside her. The voice sounded so familiar… She tried to open her eyelids. Strong light that spilled into her sight hurt her eyes. She blinked.

"Welcome back, my little darling. I see that you've awaken from your sleep." A woman stood before her. She knew who she was. The woman in her dreams. The only person who called her Selby in the laboratory she escaped from.

"How was your journey? I heard you found some companions when you traveled. It seems to me that they have abandoned you, didn't they?"

Selby narrowed her eyes. She tried to move, but she was strapped onto the bed she was lying on. "Don't try to pull free, dear. You'll hurt yourself." The woman sat down beside her.

"Why am I here?" She asked. She feared this would happen one day. Only she didn't know that it would happen right after she left Trafalgar Law.

"With the help of some upper powers, we finally managed to track you down. I always knew that you would try to escape one day, sweetheart. Your eyes were wild, like the eyes of a beast." The woman smiled as she petted Selby's head. Selby turned away in discomfort.

"Don't make a face like that. You never did that when you were young; you were so tamed back then. I see that letting you run wild has changed you. Is it because of that boy?"

Selby frowned. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Don't be silly, girl. You know perfectly well. That pirate. What did he do to you? Your body functions differently than how it used to be before you left." The woman hissed into her ear. She shivered. "Answer me, Selby. What did you let him do?"


	7. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the reviews guys! I was so happy that I almost cried when I saw them. **

**Special thanks to Guest. 124: Your review inspired me on the next chap. **

**Hope you guys enjoy! **

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Chap. 6

The cannonball flew straight towards the pirate ship. There was no doubt that it wouldn't hit its target. Miranda could hear her comrades cheer. The cheering stopped when they found that the pirate ship remained floating on the ocean. Miranda frowned. Why? Shouldn't the cannonball already hit the ship? She lifted up her binoculars.

Her eyes widened at what she saw. There was no time to think more about what was going to happen. She picked up Ben, who yelped in confusion, and threw the dog into the waters beneath, jumping after him herself. When she reached the water, the cannonball hit the warship behind her.

She could fell the shaking as she sank down the ocean. Miranda could feel the water that was wrapping around her vibrate. It didn't take long for her to float up and see for herself what had happened. Apparently, the cannonball had flown back and hit the warship. Someone was yelling for water to put out the fire while others prepared the next shot.

"Idiots! Don't fire at them!" She shouted as loud as she could. "That probably has something to do with devil fruit powers! We'll get bombed again if you fire!"

No use. Either nobody heard her or they just chose to ignore what she was saying. The second cannonball was fired. Miranda sighed and ducked back into the warm ocean waters. Ben remained beside her, barking out loudly.

Even under water she could still feel the waves of explosion. The second had caused irrevocable damage to their ship. Other marines started to jump down into the waters and swim to shore in order to save themselves.

"Miranda! Miranda!" She turned around and saw Benjamin yelling into the air searching for her. She waved at him and yelled. "I'm here! How's Colette?"

"I lost her, I think. I'll go find her!" He shouted back and swam away. Ben pushed her as they both moved to the shore lines. The cold ocean breeze blew upon her as she climbed up onto land. She shivered a bit. Miranda swore it was not because of fear; she was just simply not used to the cold.

"Lieutenant Williams! Go and protect the villagers!" She could make out her captain's voice calling her.

"Yes sir!" Was the only reply she could think of. "Let's go boy." She lowered her head to Ben, who gave a soft bark in reply. A few other officers joined her. She pulled on her clothes trying to keep the warmth. The wet soggy fabric did no good. She cursed in her heart the stupid person who dared to fire the second time. As if their situation weren't the worse already.

"So I guess we just wait here?" She nodded in reply as she watched some of the others sit down. Miranda hated playing the defense. It felt like sitting around waiting to be attacked. All of their actions depended on the opponent's moves. It felt so helpless, like being pulled and fooled around like a puppet.

Ben shook of the water clinging to his fur. One of the warrant officers wanted to curse but looked at her and chose to shut up. Good. She thought bitterly. At least she wouldn't need to deal with a civil war within the marines about Ben. Miranda glared at both of them darkly and leaned onto a tree nearby.

The others started talking while Miranda tried to make out the battle from the cries that reached her ears. They must not lose, they could not lose… She could not help thinking of Colette and Benjamin. How would they be? She hadn't seen Colette after the bombing of their ship. Please, please don't let her be dead… She prayed silently in her heart.

"Lieutenant Williams?"

She turned around to face her officers. Recker Daniel looked at her. "Lieutenant Williams?" He asked again.

"Yes?" Miranda raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you think we should wait here as ambushes instead of sitting around? Just in case the pirates come here?"

Ambush. She shut her eye lids. Why didn't she think of it? "Right." Looking around at the others, she said. "Good idea, Dan. I should have thought of that."

Recker Daniel smiled shyly as everyone hid into the shadows. "Go find help, boy." Miranda whispered to Ben beside her. "Go find help." They could never defeat the Kidd Pirates. That she knew very clear. They had about 20 men including her, but most of them were recruits, men who never had been in battles. They could never win like this. Never.

She watched as Ben slowly trotted away. He didn't want to leave her; she knew it. But he was the only one that she could think of to ask help from the nearest city or town. He could easily disguise himself as a stray dog wandering in the streets. Ben was the only one that would not catch extra attention. If they had forgotten about him, that is. They had met her before. She prayed that nobody would notice.

"They're here, Lieutenant Williams." Somebody whispered into her ear. As if I didn't see it myself. She thought bitterly.

"I'll go for Eustass. Try to keep the others away as long as possible. That way at least I wouldn't need to fight more than a person at a time."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Shut up! They're coming! Just do whatever I just said!" She hissed and turned her head back to the road. Just a bit closer…

What happened after came a bit quick. Someone fired a gun; Miranda didn't know who. Anyway, it started the chaos: Her officers attacked. She didn't even have enough time to think about what had happened when her iron rod-the weapon she always carried with her-was pulled away. Not by a human, but by some kind of natural force. Miranda watched in surprise as all of the metal weapons were pulled away and flew towards Kidd.

Her eyes narrowed. That must have been it, what had caused the cannonball to fly back. Metal. Cannonball shells were made of metal. She clenched her teeth. The only weapon that she had right now was a baton made of Seastone. Yet there was no other choice for her besides fighting him.

Miranda shut her eyelids. If today was going to be her inevitable hour then she would embrace it happily. If possible, she would drag Eustass Kidd along to hell.

She sprang towards him. The baton was about to hit the unaware captain who had his back toward her until she caught the glint of scythes slamming down on her. Miranda barely had time to turn and ward off the attack. She slipped back to a safe area and stood up. It was Killer, the man that had asked her how to get to the harbor. Miranda frowned as Eustass Kidd turned around.

It seemed to her that hope had abandoned her. If she wanted to kill the red-haired pirate, she'd have to step over his blonde subordinate. Fear crept into her heart as she realized a fact that she didn't want to face: she could probably never beat Kidd or Killer in her whole lifetime.

Miranda gripped onto her baton harder.


	8. Chapter 7

**10th Squad 3rd Seat: Miranda will stay alive. If I kill her there will be no story to tell for me anymore. She won't die...at least now. **

**Guest. 124 and Girl-luvs-manga: Thank you for your reviews. **

**This chap. is a transition chapter, which aren't my favorite to write. So it won't be my best, but still hope you guys enjoy. **

**Flames and reviews are strongly welcomed! **

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Chap. 7

"I'm afraid I don't understand a single word of your question." Selby's mind started spinning. It must have been the pills. She had taken some just after she left. 36 hours. Is that how long Law said it would last? How long have she been here?

"You can't be that foolish, girl. Don't try to hide anything. I'm the most creative; you wouldn't want to anger me." The woman looked down on her and threatened. That Selby couldn't possibly understand more. For almost half of her life she had spent her days with her, and they certainly weren't the most pleasant ones. She clenched her teeth. The woman above her narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling me or not, dear?"

"No." She answered in a shaking voice. The woman seemed to be surprised by this answer.

"Don't think that I'm not afraid to kill you, sweetheart. You thought you escaped by yourself? Such an innocent girl. It was me who decided to give you a break. You wouldn't have left this laboratory in your whole life if I hadn't acquiesced. All these years you weren't killed because of your valuable ability to regenerate. If you lose it, there certainly isn't any reason to allow you to live one day more on this planet." The woman was smiling by now. Selby gulped. Should she tell the truth to save her own life?

"I haven't lost it." After a long moment of silence, Selby replied. "I just don't have it for now."

"Does this have anything to do with the pirate captain?" The woman raised an eyebrow.

"It's none of your business. You just need to know that I still have that ability you treasure." Selby glared at the woman. The woman chuckled.

"So eager to save your own life. Well, seems like we've talked enough today, haven't we? I think it would be good if you sleep for a while." Something was stabbed into her arm. It was probably something similar to anesthetic, only much stronger. She could feel her head start to spin.

"I will kill you one day! I promise you will pay back!" She screamed as she tried to fight of the dizziness. It was no use.

"I look forward to that, my dear." The woman's voice brushed softly past her ear. "But first, it is time to rest."

And before she knew anything more, her thoughts drifted away into the darkness of sleep.

The woman stood up. She frowned as she looked at the young girl. She walked out of the room into her own office.

"She still refuses to tell, boss." She spoke to the man through the den den mushi sitting on her table. The man on the other side sighed.

"Do you have any ideas what you can do to let her tell?"

"No, but she said that she still has the ability. It's just not working now."

"You do understand that we can't afford to kill her off right now, do you?" The man stopped for a moment. "But she is too troublesome. You shouldn't have let her wild for such a long time."

"This is my entire fault, boss. I will do my best to fix it."

"Very good. If you can get another human to have the same ability to regenerate, kill her. If not, then wipe out her memory. Don't kill her until I tell you too; she is valuable for us now. There is a bit progress in your mistake."

"May I ask what it is?" The woman sat down in her own chair, confused. It took a while before her boss replied.

"Trafalgar Law. She is the bait we can use to hook Trafalgar Law."

The woman started tapping her finger on her desk. "But boss, don't you think Trafalgar Law may be a bit too powerful for us to handle?"

She could hear the man laugh. "Of course we are not handling him ourselves, darling. There's Doflamingo sitting out there; I doubt that Trafalgar can beat him."

"So you mean that we're selling her to him?" The woman carefully asked.

"Yes, but not now. Try to get another guinea pig to regenerate. Then, if you can, wipe out her memory and ability to regenerate."

"But how is that possible?"

"If Trafalgar Law can do it, I expect that you can too. Do you not think so?"

"Yes, sir." She answered in a quiet voice. The man hung up after hearing the answer he wanted, and she sighed as she put down the den den mushi. He had always expected a lot from her, not that is was a bad thing though. Most of the time she just needed to think a lot. The woman sat down and pressed her thumb onto her temple. XS3356II had caused a lot of trouble for her lately…

So how did that damn pirate manage to do that? She looked at the information papers that were sent in, helplessly looking at them from her seat. Perhaps, for the first time, she was going to let her boss down.

* * *

That woman sure had her own ways of making Selby feel like hell while keeping her alive at the same time. She had lost track of time; there were no clocks for her to look at anyway. Selby had been completely cut off from the world again. Days returned to the time when she was young and could not break out, when she had memory problems and constant aches all around her body due to so-called "experiment". She was also furious by the fact that the woman in charge had let her escaped on purpose. Yes, sure it was better than staying in this horrific place, but it only showed how weak and naïve she was. Some may say that's what a 16-year-old was supposed to be like, but Selby never liked that fact. It made her feel even terrible, since she had something to contrast with her life now.

The pills Law gave her were nowhere to be seen, which she expected. The woman didn't seem to take it very serious, and probably already threw it away thinking it was ordinary pills. Good. The last thing Selby needed was getting Law into this. She prayed that he would not turn back for her, while hurt by her own feelings for him. (How ironic, that she almost cried over him not caring for her.)

Day after day was all kinds of various operations and controlled experiments. While regretting leaving the Heart Pirates, she often spent most of her other time pitying the other people used as guinea pigs and planned for her next escape. Sometimes she would be startled at the middle of the night by their screams. She felt sorry for them; those who didn't even have the chance to look at the outside world. Every time she felt pain she would bit on her lip hard until it bleed. She would NOT give those devils the pleasure of torturing her, no matter what.

The woman seemed more worried than pleased these days, not like the usual person Selby knew. It wasn't necessarily a good thing, since she often turned to ventilate her anger on Selby, abusing her physically. But it kept her distracted, causing her attention to be elsewhere instead of tormenting her mentally. At least things aren't that bad. Selby would tell herself when she was left alone in the sickly white room.

She started to learn how to hate. It really didn't matter how much it hurt those she hated; it was just simply easier than forgiving. They say forgiving is the true greatness of heart. Selby didn't understand. How could people forgive someone who had mistreated them so easily? The day she'd forgive that woman would be the day she was insane. The only thing Selby would want to do with her was stab her in the heart. Nothing else mattered as long as she could revenge one day. She was very forgiving when she thought of the Heart Pirate captain though. Deep inside she knew he was her weakness and she welcomed it.


	9. Chapter 8

**I've noticed that the number of reviews are decreasing lately... I know that everyone's busy lately, but if you're not reviewing because you think my writing is falling behind please tell me otherwise I can never improve. **

**Thanks to 10th Squad 3rd Seat and Girl-luvs-manga for their support. Love you guys!**

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Chap. 8

This wasn't the first time that Killer had to come in and stop unexpected attacks for Kidd. He just wasn't paying attention; no one could blame him for that. This was the first time, however, that the attacker was still alive after Killer's sudden strike.

Kidd turned around in a bit of surprise and mostly annoyed by the fact that Killer had to save him once again. Killer would probably tease about that fact later, much to Kidd's distress. What was standing before him was not what he had expected. It was a young woman—or rather, a girl—standing with her head held high, a short baton gripped in her hand tightly. She wore a marine uniform, one that was a bit high ranked for her age. He could tell she was shaking, though her gaze showed an unyielding spirit. A crooked smile spread wide on his face.

"Killer, I want her alive."

His blonde right hand man didn't say a single word nor show any emotion as he launched his next strike.

* * *

It took a while before Miranda was finally bound by the pirates and taken before Eustass Kidd. She was expecting to lose, but she wasn't quite expecting not to be killed. According to reports the Kidd Pirates were ruthless and cold-hearted; there weren't much people alive by the time they left for another place. Poor Recker Daniel proved it right; it took a long while before they finally cut open his throat and let him die. Miranda couldn't do anything but turn her head away when her comrade cried for help and pleaded for his life. Do not cry, she told herself. It wasn't like she could do much anyway. Still, guilt weighed heavily above her heart; the guilt of living. Why was it her the one who was spared among those who struck? He had a point.

The others who had stayed behind at the harbor were even worse. It seemed to her that the Kidd Pirates glorified violence; they even enjoyed it. Miranda felt her stomach ache; these people were too brutal for her to take. The bloody harbor reminded her of her father's death, when they lit the whole warship on fire, as if death itself wasn't ugly enough.

But nothing could compare to the moment when she saw Benjamin. He actually first spotted her being dragged along by one of the Kidd Pirates before she noticed him. Benjamin attacked, at least, he attempted to. Blood loss and new wounds had made him weak. Even if he was a perfectly whole man, he probably didn't stand a chance before the Kidd Pirates anyway. Almost instantly, he was struck to the ground again. She could see him gasp for air. A bullet had run through one of his lungs.

She could feel terror seize her heart; Miranda didn't even bother to hide it. She didn't care anymore if the pirates sensed it or not. Her eyes widened while she watched them go on. No. She thought. Please, God, no. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't let Benjamin die. Please don't let him die. Please.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something. Yet not a single sound came out of her dry lips. She silently watched him being grabbed up. She watched him fall.

Finally they gave him the last blow. Still, he died painfully and slowly in front of her. Her knees suddenly felt so weak that she couldn't stand anymore. Her knees fell to the ground and the pirates just watched. Nobody pulled her up.

Benjamin turned towards her. He was bleeding very badly from his wounds, inside and out. He mouthed a sentence to her.

I'm sorry.

Miranda could feel her eyes starting to water. There's nothing you should be sorry for, she wanted to tell him. You have fought bravely. There is nothing you need to apologize for. She bit on her lips hard to stop the tears from rolling. Don't cry, stay strong. This was the day her father died all over again. Perhaps even worse. That day she was just simply discovering the loved one of her being killed; now they were all dying in front of her while she couldn't do a single thing to help them.

She shut her eyes. Miranda wished that this was just a dream. She would wake up sometime, in her own bed, with her father scowling her for getting up late. And she would tell him about this dream that she had, this horrible yet very realistic dream. She would tell him every single detail she remembered and watch her father laugh and tease her about crying for him.

But this was reality. Who was she trying to kid? She didn't even believe in it herself. She just hoped so—though she knew it would never be true. Reality had always been cruel to her.

Suddenly she remembered Ben. Her loyal dog had went to go find help, hadn't he? She prayed that he would bring reinforcement to save them. Or at least kill the pirates. Miranda would go either way whether she would need to die or not.

Dizziness started to cover her mind. She felt the world around her starting to spin. Her lips felt dry. Dehydration, she thought. Her eyes closed and she happily embraced it. She enjoyed anything that would stop her mind from thinking and suffering and give her a break for now.

* * *

Something wasn't right.

That was the first thing Miranda sensed. Her eyes flung open. A wooden ceiling appeared before her.

Miranda sat up. She was sitting on a bed—something that both heaven and hell shouldn't have. This was not right. Shouldn't she be dead by now? The setting around her was unfamiliar. Most important, her clothes were changed. Her marine uniform was nowhere in sight, and what was on her body she totally didn't recognize.

The sleepiness faded immediately as she tried to recall where she was before.

She was supposed to be at the harbor. The bloody battlefield at the harbor, where she watched her best friend die. Yes, that's where she's supposed to be.

So where the hell is this?

The room was awfully colorful. And she meant it when she used the term "awful". Splashes of primary colors collapsed together and hit her eyes hard. This room was totally out of her taste. Most of the colors were either loud or dark. Nothing sweet and soft in here could be seen. There were two doors beside the bed.

She stood up and opened one of them. It led to a bathroom that wasn't going to take her anywhere. There were no windows. She slammed the door and walked to the other. It was locked. No matter how hard she pulled on or knocked on it just simply wouldn't open. Miranda looked around the room. A tall lamp stood beside the nightstand. She picked it up and rammed it on the knob over and over. She wondered if anyone heard her; the noise was pretty loud in her own eyes.

Finally, the broken door opened and the knob dropped to the floor. Miranda threw the lamp aside and picked up the knob.

The hallways were empty when she walked out. She could hear the sound of waves splashing against each other. So she was in a ship. A very bad feeling started to cover her heart. She walked towards the stairs at the end of the hall.

The strong sunlight blinded her for a few minutes when she stepped out. Now she could hear people talking—men's voice only. Her heart sunk.

When her rods started to function normally, she saw what she was guessing. Her worst nightmare. It was the Kidd Pirates.

They fell silent when they saw her. She scanned around the deck searching for Eustass Kidd. There he was, standing beside his right hand man grinning at her. Miranda pushed down the urge to throw the door knob at him.

"I see you've have awakened." He was the first one to break the silence.

"Obliviously." Miranda rolled her eyes. "I assume I'm on your pirate ship right now?"

"Yes." She could see him snicker.

"Why, may I ask?"

"You're taken as a prisoner." This time it was Killer who replied. He seemed to be bored about that fact. She closed her eyes. Stay calm. She told herself.

"Second question. Who changed my clothes?"

The whole ship crew roared with laughter. Her grip on the door knob hardened.

"Me." Eustass Kidd answered as if it was the most natural thing ever. Miranda didn't say anything and turned her head to the sky. She could see his pirate flag flying high with its jolly ranger's widespread Glasgow smile. What would you do? It seemed as if it was asking her.

Decision made. She thought as she flung the door knob at the red-haired man and turned to walk back to the room she came from. She didn't care if he had devil fruit powers or what so ever. Getting herself killed would be a much wiser decision than to stay alive held prisoner by the Kidd Pirates.

And from the depth of her heart, she loathed him even more. Who did he think he was, that man?


	10. Chapter 9

**I have a lot of test coming, so I may not be able to update once a week as usual. **

**Miumi-chan, 10th Squad 3rd Seat, Mirre98, Chocolatluver4ever, Girl-luvs-manga, WindWhistle21, and rabiosarabiosa, thanks guys for the support! It's really important to me. **

**Guest.124: I understand. But thanks anyway for your review. **

**So, hope you guys enjoy! Flames and reviews are strongly welcomed! **

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Chap. 9

"I've changed my mind, dear. The world government offered us a very high price." The man on the other side stopped for a while. The woman in the white robe spoke.

"Have you asked Doflamingo, sir?"

"No. But that pink flamingo isn't as generous as you think; and trading with the world government is much safer. Doflamingo is a ruthless pirate; who knows what he will do if we sold XS3356II to him? Perhaps he would kill us all. Or perhaps that's just my terrible imagination. But you know I don't like taking risks, dear."

The woman sighed silently in her own heart. "Do you have any instructions for me, boss?"

"Yes. Keep her ability to regenerate; that's what the world government wants. Totally wipe out her memory. We don't need runaways and we don't need to risk having one. A few days later, the world government is going to provide us a devil fruit. Feed her that, and a few days after she would no longer be a trouble of ours. Let the world government worry about the consequences."

"May I ask for a specific time, boss?" The woman looked to her calendar.

"About a week later. You can manage to reach my expectations by then, right, my dear?"

"I'll try my best."

"Good."

The woman sighed softly as she hung up. He was always pushing her so hard. True, she would not be afraid to say that she was very intelligent, but XS3356II wasn't that simple to handle. The girl won't give in easily like the other guinea pigs. There was always a struggle when it came to her.

It had been about 2 years since she had been recaptured. She was 18 by now, meaning that her brain and other organs reached the age where they would stop developing. That should have made the memory wiping problem easier. Was her boss thinking of that when he told her to sell the girl to the world government? Whether yes or not, she thanked him for it.

The world government. Just thinking of that organization made her want to laugh. It was supposed to serve for justice. But take a look at it closer. What kind of "justice" would allow human body experiments? But this so-called government not only defaulted its existence, but also trades for human body weapons. Just this was enough to see the corruption of the organization. The woman stood up and left her office, heading towards the laboratory rooms. She had to work as hard as she could to find out how to erase the girl's memory. In one week. She knew that taking out one of the two hippocampuses in a person's brain can cause them to lose the ability to form new long-term memories. But erasing old ones? She had never heard of anything like that before, nor had she studied anything similar when she was still an apprentice. The woman sighed and sat down beside a computer. It seemed she would get no good sleep these days.

* * *

It wasn't uncommon for Selby to wake up in nutrient solutions. She hated the feeling she had when she was soaked in it; the slimy liquid-like thing always surrounded her, supporting her dying body whenever they came close to kill her. Why didn't they just kill her? That way she wouldn't need to suffer in this cold cruel lab anymore.

Selby watched quietly as the researchers walked in and out. The thick glass container had blocked out all sounds, so she couldn't hear a single word they were speaking. She pressed herself onto the clear glass, trying to steal a few words from their conversation.

"… She hasn't found…yet. There is…on mice. We don't know…will work….human body."

"…fruit is coming… What should we do?"

"…leave it to her…take care of… We also…time after…"

"Such a hurry… finish it?"

"…trust her."

Nothing made sense to her at all. They seemed to be running an experiment—but then, aren't they running all kinds of experiments all the time? They were planning something, obliviously, but did it by any chance have anything to do with her? And what was the fruit they were talking about? A devil fruit? Selby didn't understand. She closed her eyes and let her mind rest for a while.

It had been a long time since she left the Heart Pirates. She didn't know how long; there was nothing for her to keep track of time. A year or two perhaps? Her memories started to blur and mix. It was a thing that often happened when she was young, before she had seen the world outside.

The woman had not bothered her for days. Selby was grateful to whatever that was keeping her busy and moving her attention on her away. She didn't care what it was anymore; as long as it didn't bother her it was OK, even if it meant another human or living creature suffering. It wasn't like she was cold hearted. It was just that sometimes when people do horrible things to you, you just wish from the bottom of your heart that they did it to someone else, no matter whom, as long as it gave you a break from suffering.

Selby leaned onto the glass of the container and sighed. A few bubbles floated up to the surface of the nutrient solution. It was a very long time since the woman had mentioned the captain of the Heart Pirates. Selby guessed that it was a good thing, since she hadn't heard of the death or defeat of Trafalgar Law. Where was he now? How was he doing? Had he entered the New World? She let her mind slip loose and her imagination run wild.

* * *

Bepo raised his head as a seagull flew past their ship. It glided towards to horizon, and after a few minutes it disappeared from his field of vision. The calm waves lapped against the ship, creating a soothing rhythm. His captain sat back to back with him on the deck. Bepo sniffed a bit. The air was too warm for his liking.

"Captain?"

"Yes, Bepo?" He could feel Law turn his head slightly.

"Do you remember Selby?"

"Yes." Bepo felt Law's head turn back as his captain leaned on him. "What's the matter?"

"…I miss her." After a while, Bepo replied. His captain let out a short laugh.

"You've said that hundreds of times since she left, Bepo."

"I know… I wonder if she's OK. She's a fugitive, right?"

"That's what she said. I don't think she'll be that safe though. She's too naïve to be on her own. At least, when she left us."

Bepo twitched a bit. "Then why did you make her leave?"

"It would have been more dangerous if she was with us back then. And there was no reason for her to travel with us any longer, since I gave her those pills."

"I thought you cared for her."

"I did. That's why I told her to leave."

There was a long moment of silence between their conversation. Bepo didn't know what to reply; it seemed right for Law to make her leave under that situation two years ago. But now they were long rid of Doflamingo, and Law showed no sign of finding her. There was nothing for Bepo to blame; after all, there was no reason to find her anyway. Selby got what she want, just as his captain said. His thoughts were disturbed when his captain spoke again.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, OK, Bepo?"

"Yes, captain." Bepo replied as another seagull flew before him. How he'd love to have some frozen seal right now as he used to do in the colder regions.


	11. Chapter 10

**10th Squad 3rd Seat, MsWildLuck, Girl-luvs-manga: Thank you for your support and review. It really means a lot to me. **

**Guest.124: Yes, I know the time transition was bad. I was tired and busy last week. Sorry about that. **

**inspiritexo: Thank you for all the reviews you posted the past week! And yes, Kidd and Miranda are on bad terms. **

**This is Chapter 10; hope you guys enjoy! Flames and reviews are welcomed! **

* * *

Chap. 10

Miranda was pulled back violently and a hand held strong onto her neck. She could feel air being blocked from her lungs, making it hard for her to breathe. It was one of Kidd's crew mates, an incredibly tall man with long, shaggy blue hair. He was furious, she could tell, as his grip was hard and pitiless, judging by the strength he was using. She tried her best not to fight back; it would better if she died right here right now. Blood started rushing to her head. Her sight was blurred, and hearing became an awfully difficult task. Miranda managed to pull out something that she thought would turn out to be a weak smile.

Someone was shouting. Something hit the man who was choking her hard; she fell onto the ground. Air rushed into her lungs; her sight and hearing started to return to her. Miranda gasped for oxygen as she pressed her hand on her neck that was still sore, lifting her head searching who had "saved" her. Not like that was a good thing. In fact, if she could, Miranda would probably punch him in the face for breaking the egg in her pocket.

"Heat! Don't you dare lay a hand on her! She is _mine_; I thought I made that clear from the start."

Miranda was _pissed_ by what he had said. Very pissed. It seemed that Eustass Kidd was always in her way, robbing her of everything she had, destroying her life in his own way. "I don't belong to anyone, thank you very much." She growled as she stood up. Eustass Kidd simply smirked.

"It's not your place to say." He said as he grabbed her by the arm. "How the hell did you get out here? I remember locking the door."

"You got it coming and you knew it, Heat. You know Kidd doesn't like people messing with his stuff." Killer helped the tall man up as he watched Kidd drag away the marine girl. There was a struggle between the two, and Killer couldn't help feeling that the girl was hoping to be killed by his crewmate. She was smiling when he tried to. Perhaps it would be better for her if Heat did do so.

Personally, Killer felt a bit pity (Pity! He didn't even know that the word existed in his dictionary) for her. In the end Kidd would get what he wanted and the girl could not do anything to stop that fate from coming, no matter how she would try to fight back and resist it.

"I just don't like the way she acted towards Master Kidd. Who on earth does she think she is?" Heat gritted his teeth.

"Well, if you were a woman and fell into a situation like that, I wouldn't be surprised if you'll act more violently than that girl did."

Killer didn't even need to turn around to see who was speaking. He sighed as Heat spat hatefully, "What are you doing here, Doc?"

Doc just simply sneered back. "What do you mean by 'what are you doing here'? I'm the doctor of this ship; where else do you think I should be?"

Heat towered over the doctor, even though Doc was a tall lean man. "You know, if you shut up nobody would think you were mute."

The tan, white-haired man just laughed. "So who do YOU think you are, Heat, telling me what to do?" Doc lifted up his head, his gaze straight into Heat's eyes. "If you want a fight I'm always here for one. My hands are getting a bit too clean these days."

"You two stop right there. We don't need any damages on this ship and we certainly do not need dead men. If you can't stand each other just find something to do and avoid each other!" Killer yelled at his crewmates. He had much more things to worry about than to think about that girl and Kidd. Kidd would take care of that poor girl.

Doc did not like it at all when Kidd brought back the girl. Not only because of the "bad luck" could women supposedly bring to a pirate ship, but also the fact that she was a marine. Why did his captain have to choose to mess with the marines? Now if they knew the girl's whereabouts they'd probably be after them even wilder. They were already annoying enough to Doc. He'd love it if they could just quit hunting the Kidd Pirates; something he knew that would never come true.

He was also quite amazed when Kidd beat the girl himself when she tried to escape. Kidd warned Heat about the consequences he might deal with if he dared lay a hand on the girl. So why did he do it himself? It wasn't very like his captain to do so. He also didn't remember Kidd taking any interest in beaten-up women, but then, before he'd never brought one onto the ship before. The girl was sent to him to treat the wounds. She had a broken arm and various bruises. Bruises healed quicker, but a broken arm…? Doc sighed as he turned to get bandages. Seemed like he'd be meeting her again sometime soon. Kidd wasn't a very patient person.

"You know, girl, you're adding to my burden right now." He glanced at her quickly. The girl just turned away her gaze.

"It's not like I want to. If your captain would let me go you wouldn't even need to treat my broken arm." She said as she looked hopefully to the door. Doc realized that no one was guarding it; he turned around to face her.

"Don't try to escape underneath my eyes, dear. You sure are feisty, aren't you. No wonder Kidd hasn't killed you by now."

"I wish he had." Mumbling under her breath, she turned her head away. "What does he want from me anyway? It's not like I can give him anything."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "I'm not good at guessing others thought, and I don't guess what others are thinking. But you do know that there's a lot of woman who would want to be in your place."

"I don't know." The girl snapped back. "Why would they? He's such a beast."

_A beast. Just wait till she finds out more about Kidd._ Rolling his eyes, Doc thought to himself. "Don't say that in front of his face." The doctor warned, frowning. "I don't want to treat any more wounds of yours."

"Will he kill me if I do so?" She asked a bit hopefully. Doc turned around to face her.

"He probably won't. And why do you engage in yourself being killed?" He asked her as he started to wipe his hands. The girl simply shrugged.

"It's much better than staying here."

He didn't know that a marine could loathe pirates so much that they'd rather die than stay captive by a pirate crew. But the girl was certainly smart enough to know that staying would be dangerous for her. At least she wasn't that dumb. To her, that was probably a misfortunate; it could have contributed to her captive path that she was forced to walk on now.

"Why don't you commit suicide then? I'm pretty sure that Heat would like to help you out on that." He asked her, eyeing the door, making sure no one was there. Kidd and Heat would kill him if they'd heard that.

"Heat?" She blinked in confusion. Doc sighed impatiently.

"The man who almost chocked you to death." He reminded her.

"Oh, Heat. Well, first of all, I don't think he'll do it this time. Second, I don't have a weapon. I was beaten and then fell unconscious before I was taken to this ship."

"Oh, yes. And Kidd changed your clothing. No wonder you are not armed." The ship doctor smirked. The marine girl shot him a sharp glare.

"I don't need you to remind me that, thank you very much." Laughing, Doc opened the door and called out to his captain. "Kidd! I'm done treating that bitch of yours; get her out of here now."

"And I'm not his thing!" The expression on the girl's face was priceless. Perhaps it wasn't that bad that Kidd brought the girl onto the ship.


	12. Chapter 11

**Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world! **

**MsWildLuck, Law-heartPirates, Girl-luvs-manga: Thank you for your review, hope you enjoy the new chapter**

**10th Squad 3rd Seat: Yes, I was thinking that since Kidd was pretty violent and stuff, he may need a doctor on the ship if anybody on his crew was wounded. **

**Mirre98: No, this is 2 years early than the original OP, which means that both Kidd and Law are almost at Sabaody Archipelago by now. **

**Guest.124: That's actually a pretty great idea. I may use it in the future chapters. **

**robin3zoro: I like better Miranda too :D She's more like the kind of woman (or girl?) that I admire. **

**So, as usual, hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Flames and reviews are welcomed! **

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Chap. 11

It was late in the night when the drug finally worked.

Yawning, the woman pushed the button down. The mice that were closed in the cage had previously been exposed to electric shocks whenever they had heard music. It was a training of connection of "music®electric shock", so that whenever they heard music the mice panicked with fear. Afterwards they had been fed the drug she had mixed for erasing memories. Now she was just about to test if it worked or not. There were only two days till the devil fruit will arrive; she had no time to waste. Hardly had she ate or slept. She could not bring down his expectations. Success was the only result allowed.

The soft music ringed again around her ears like a lullaby, tempting her to just lie down for a little while and rest. But she knew she could not do so; he would not be pleased if the girl escaped from their hands when transporting her into the hands of the World Government. She could not afford to rest now. Only until she succeeded.

Her eyes dropped heavily as she yawned again. Then something inside the cage caught her eye. The sleepiness disappeared; what replaced it was unmistakable excitement. The mice were calm; they were not frightened anymore. They remained calm until the music ended. The woman played the music again, just to make sure. Again and again and again. The mice remained calm and peaceful. It finally had worked. The drug.

The woman looked into the greenish liquid and smiled. One step closer to success. Now the thing is how to make her "dear adopted daughter" drink it, and the faster she does, the best.

* * *

It was late in the night when Selby was woken up by the woman.

"Drink it."

Selby looked down to the so-called "soup". It was an unnatural greenish color. The whole idea of eating it was already making her sick. Not to mention what might happen if she did so.

"No." She turned away in disgust. All the years in this laboratory had taught her not to talk back; but that didn't mean she would just obey everything that crazy woman said. Hell no. There was no way she was going to drink that unless that woman had her tied and shoved that thing into her throat forcefully.

"Yes you are." The woman hissed into her ear, annoyed. "You are drinking it _now_." Selby didn't fail to notice that the woman looked strangely tired and exhausted. She did not seem to have the energy to deal with Selby right now, so Selby decided to delay as long as possible.

"I said _no_." Glaring at the woman, she replied. Oh, how she'd like to kill that woman if she had a dagger in her hands. That woman didn't even deserved to die a swift death; the deeds she did were probably beyond Selby's imagination. After all, she was nicer to her because of the regenerating power that the woman valued; Selby wouldn't want to know what life would be like if she hadn't possessed the power.

"I'm running out of patient, sweetheart." The woman snapped back. "Do it now or I will make you do so."

"No. Whatever that is it is disgusting; and why you are instating on me drinking it make me very suspicious. So no. Come and make me do so yourself. I'm never going to drink that by my own will." Lifting her head, Selby looked at the woman challengingly. The woman seemed pissed, but she didn't do anything besides glaring darkly at her.

"You will pay for this tomorrow, girl. Don't think you got away with it." The woman turned and left the room, taking the green liquid with her. Good. Selby thought as she watched the woman disappear. But something wasn't right. She could sense it clearly in the air.

This was the first time that woman actually gave in to her. Other times it would just be a long struggle, and in the end the woman always won. The must have been a reason why she gave in this time, something that she didn't know and couldn't figure out. Perhaps it had something to do with the lines she had caught from the other researchers. They mentioned that she was running a project on mice, and they weren't sure if it would work on humans. Was that the thing she was trying to make her drink? There was a large possibility that it did, but she couldn't be certain.

She sat up, her back leaning against the cold hard glass behind her. Pulling her knees closer, she looked blankly at the machines in the dark. The woman did not seem to lie about letting her "escape", since all these years she have tried yet never succeeded. But tonight she had a strong feeling that she would succeed sometimes soon. And it had nothing to do with the woman "allowing" her do so.

Silently, she waited for her chance.

* * *

XS3356II did not cooperate well when she was asked to drink the drug. The woman pushed on her temples. It was more than likely that XS3356II would not yield; at least, not some time soon. This meant that she would probably have to inject the drug into XS3356II's body. According to previous experiments on both mice and men, the drug wasn't as effective as it was if drunken. Yet time was running out; there was only one day left before the devil fruit would arrive. The decision was made. The woman rose up and walked out of her office, towards the lab where XS3356II was kept.

XS3356II, whom she called Selby, was sleeping peacefully in her glass container. The girl had lived most of her life in the laboratory and been exposed to various experiments, but nothing had stopped her from growing into a beautiful creature. The calm expression on her face somehow reminded the woman of the time she took her from the orphanage. She remembered how she cried over the young girl, apologizing for pulling her into the world she lived in now. A smirk formed on her face. Oh, how innocent and naïve she seemed compared to now! It didn't take long for her to find how troublesome and stubborn XS3356II could be. And the way he, her mentor and boss, scowled her soon made her realize that the hellish life she had to live through was entirely this little brat's fault. If XS3356II had yielded and was tamer, she would have lived a much easier life, instead of staying up for days hardly even eating trying to discover the drug that could block memories from the past so that XS3356II would not escape from their hands or the World Government's. With that thought, the woman pushed down the button and watched the girl as she was slowly transferred out.

The girl somehow reminded her of a glass doll—pretty, unbending, yet fragile and brittle. Looking at the injector in her hand, a crooked smile spread on her face. Yes, it would be interesting if the girl had to face Trafalgar Law as an enemy and a weapon of the World Government. Things would be more interesting if the girl actually remembered him after they meet, preferably after she kills him. But alas, if the drug was to work, it would stay in her brain forever, blocking the old memories of hers. Letting out a little sign, the woman pushed the injector through the pale white skin and deep into the blood vessels of the girl's. She twitched a bit, her eyes flinging open almost instantly. But it was too late; the drug had already started to take effect. A few seconds blankness replaced the shock in her eyes. As she blinked to the woman in confusion, the woman purred in satisfaction. How she'd love to crush this dear doll into pieces.


	13. Chapter 12

**10th Squad 3rd Seat, MsWildLuck, WindWhistle21, Girl-luvs-manga, Law-heartPirates: Thanks guys for your reviews. I'm getting really busy these days, since it's getting closer to the end of the school year, so I may not have time to update a lot. I will try my best to update every week, but I can't promise anything, since I'm also working on my new story Over the Edge. **

**Hope you guys enjoy! Flames and reviews are welcomed!**

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Chap. 12

Miranda sighed impatiently as she sat down on the wooden floor, hiding between the nightstand and the bed in her room. It was dark. Somehow the darkness made her felt assured, for some weird reason.

At least she was grateful that Eustass Kidd had left her alone to let her broken arm heal for these weeks. Besides them delivering meals three times a day, leaving the food for her on the nightstand, Miranda hardly had any contact with the Kidd Pirates. She didn't even want any more contact; that was enough. She started to wonder why she was kept captive after all.

When she was working for the marines she was only a lieutenant; considering all the rankings that the marine had she wasn't a high officer. What could he possibly want from her besides her life? There was nothing more for her to give.

Slowly exhaling, she hugged her knees closer to her chest. She hated this place, yet there seemed no way to get out of here, at least not for now. Her brain didn't feel like functioning an escape plan at the moment, so she just simply sat there listening to the waves, letting her mind run rust in the cold dark room. Miranda could hear voices from far above, probably on the deck somewhere. She couldn't make out what they were saying though; their words were muffled by the thick walls in between.

The ship doctor's words echoed in her mind. _Why don't you commit suicide then?_ She had lied to the doctor. There was one way to kill her in this prison; she could still drown herself in the bathtub if she wanted to. Eustass had been kind enough to lock her in a room with a bathroom; should she thank him for that? But instead, she chose to live, seeking a way to escape to the bright world she longed for. It was a long time since she last saw the sun. But why didn't she kill herself by now? It wasn't just about the lack of weapons; there was something else keeping her alive in the deep gloomy cellar at the bottom of the heavy metal ship, something that Miranda didn't know how to describe. It wasn't hope—that she was quite positive. Colette and Ben were probably dead; even if they weren't, they didn't know that she was still alive on the damn pirate ship waiting for help. That darn pirate had proved that there was no way for her to escape six times and left her with bruises and a broken arm. If she relied on hope alone, Miranda doubts that she would survive.

Yawning, she rested her head on her knees. It would be a long time till she escapes this hell.

_Opening her eyes, sunshine spilled into her eyes mercilessly. The soft song of the ocean could be heard in a distance. Rubbing her eyes, still a bit sleepy, Miranda sat up. The room rocked with the ocean's rhythm; she was on a ship. The door cracked open and Ben trotted into her room, resting his head on the bed. Smiling, she petted the big canine on the head. "Good morning, Ben." The dog barked softly in reply. _

_"Breakfast's ready, Miranda!" Her father's voice slipped inside the door. Grabbing her alarm clock, she checked the time. 7:29. It was 29 minutes past the time she should have awaken. _

_"Crap! Why didn't the alarm clock ring? Father's so going to kill me." Dressing up in a hurry, Miranda dashed into the bathroom and tried to fix her mistake. _

_"Miranda!" She could hear him calling her as she grabbed the toothpaste. _

_"Coming, Dad! Just a minute!" If she was late for special training she was going to be in big trouble. Father had already reminded her again and again; but how would she know that the alarm didn't work? Maybe the clock was broken. Miranda felt that this wasn't entirely her fault; still she tried to be as fast as she could. Yet it was too late. When she threw her toothbrush into her cup, her father's footsteps already arrived at her bedroom door. _

_"Miranda? What are you…?" His voice faded as he saw his daughter still in her nightgown while she was supposed to be up already. The bright, happy look on his face immediately faded. What replaced it was disappointment. A slight hint of anger. And sorrow that Miranda could not bear herself to face. Why? There was something Miranda couldn't understand. _

_"Listen, father, I'm sorry that I didn't get up on time; the alarm clock…" Her voice was so low it was barely a whisper. She could hardly hear herself. Yet she stopped trying to explain as her father's action caught her eye. He was reaching for his pistol. Why would he need it? There were no pirates or criminals anywhere in sight. _

_He sighed impatiently as he turned his gaze to the wooden floor. "I'm sorry, Miranda, but a mistake is a mistake. There are no excuses." Miranda's eyes widen with shock as he pulled out the weapon and pointed it directly at her. Her father. Pointing a gun. _At her. _What on earth?! _

_"Father…?!" She gulped nervously. She wanted to run, but her feet were so heavy that it was as if they were glued to the ground. His eyes looked into hers, the dark chocolate eyes were full of sadness. He placed his finger onto the trigger. _

_"I'm sorry, Miranda. I really am." He closed his eyes sadly. Horror filled her heart. She wanted to scream. No! How could this be possible? How could this be?! _

_And then he fired the gun. _

Miranda awoke suddenly. The darkness around her reminded her that it was just a bad dream. Yet there was a large "bam" noise; it wasn't just the gunshot in her dream. Something in reality elapsed with it. A real gunshot. It was faint, but Miranda didn't fail to catch it. It came from the deck. She frowned, but then relaxed a bit. It probably had nothing to do with her, since she was all locked up in this room at the very bottom of the ship.

But things started to get a bit weird. The sound of fighting grew nearer. It sounded just as if it was down the hallway. Still hiding behind the bed, she wondered what was going on. It was not like Eustass Kidd to let his ship to be under attacked. Probably just some crew mates fighting, she figured. Slightly annoyed, she shut her eyes tight and tried to get back to sleep again. That was just a dream, her father and the gun. _Everything will be alright. _She told herself. _It was just because of this damn pirate ship; I have to get out of here as soon as possible. _

The fighting seemed to get closer. Something was not quite right; her eyes flung open and narrowed when she heard a loud "Bang!" on the door. Just after Miranda managed to grab an empty tray on the nightstand, the door crashed open. Miranda's first response was flinging the tray at the person's face, whoever that might turn out to be. Now everything sounded more clear; she could hear men yelling, the crashing of metal, and gunshots. The man was taken by surprise, grumbling as he tried to get up. He never had the chance to; Miranda crashed the chair on his head, knocking him out. His face was unfamiliar to her, but then she did know much of Kidd's pirate crew. The man that had sent him through the door seemed to trust her enough to run back into the battle without checking on the man. Later she learned that it was Heat; was he trying to give her another opportunity to get herself killed? She did not know.

Miranda searched the man for weapons. A pistol, a dagger, and a sword were everything she could find. Cursing under her breath, Miranda prayed that the violent red-haired captain would not use his devil fruit powers; if so, she would be good as dead.


End file.
